Cyril Nzama leads his charges into battle on Wednesday evening against current PSL Log Leaders Mamelodi Sundowns at the FNB Stadium with goal’s on his mind, as well as keeping Sundowns from finding the back of the net.

Three points for Chiefs against Sundowns is of paramount importance for the Amakhosi as they aim to cut Sundowns lead at the top of the table and also get the defence of their PSL title back on track as the PSL begins after a recess because of the Africa Cup of Nations. With the team readying themselves for what has been billed as six points clash Cyril Nzama gets ready to fire on as he answers our questions.

KC.COM: Cyril, you were quiet for almost two months with no league soccer and now you resume the campaign with a tough assignment?

Cyril Nzama: Really I could not wait to get back to playing league soccer again I missed it for the past couple of months, it does not matter to me that we resume the campaign against Sundowns. For me this is the best way to kick off get on with the job and take points off from them twice in a week will be all that we are looking to do, nothing else. It will be a tough game but you win leagues by showing your strength in these kind of matches against your fellow title contenders, no bridge is too long or too far in the instance.

KC.COM: Are there certain players in the Sundowns team who you could pick out as the ones who are likely to provide the most headaches when you play against them?

CN: Teams like Sundowns have real strength in their depth and if one player is absent they have two or three equally good replacements, having said that you do know that there are certain players who will be sore points. We need to start with former Chiefs players like David Kannemeyer, Jabulani Mendu, Neil Winstanley and Brian Baloyi, they I am sure would like to perform well against their old team. They recently bought Dillon Sheppard who has boosted their team in many ways, so there are many good players at Sundowns. One could add Clement Mazibuko and Jose Torrealba to the list of players who will need special attention.

KC.COM: Are you scared of Sundowns?

CN: Why should I be they have big squad and so do we, there is nothing to be afraid of if they were perhaps far ahead in the league than maybe there could have been something to be afraid of. You can not disrespect in any way a team like Sundowns because they have a talented squad but I am not scared of them, looking forward to the challenge yes definitely.

KC.COM: As the captain of the team do you feel extra pressure to perform well all the time?

CN: Once I was given the armband with it came a lot of responsibility and part of the territory of being the captain is that one has to set down the standard and the rest will follow. Since being given this role I really don’t feel any pressure but what I do think has happened is because I am aware that the rest of the team will follow my lead I naturally tend to perform at my best. There have been times in certain games when I have said to myself that I need to pick up my game not because of outside pressure, I just felt that the team needed a lift and I noticed when I start getting more involved in the game so do the other guys.

KC.COM: Since you joined Chiefs in 2000 what has been the most memorable game you have played against Sundowns in the PSL?

CN: There have been a few matches I think last seasons game when we scored two goals with ten men to beat them away from home 4-3, was the most enthralling game of football I have ever played. Apart maybe from last seasons European Champions League Final I feel that game of our against Sundowns was a real football epic; with ten men to score two goals away from home is a real mean feat.

KC.COM: Do you feel that result did a lot for the team last season and what did it show for the players in the team?

CN: Once we achieved that result against Sundowns we began to build a believe and a confidence in ourselves that we never had before, playing with ten men is hard enough. Playing with a man short in blistering heat for forty-five minutes against a top draw team and to come out on top after that shows that you have fighters in your team, players who are ready to play it out till the end. That game gave us the confidence, it was like an adrenaline rush, which spurred us onto the title, that spirit of fighting for each other playing every game till the final whistle is still very much alive with us at the moment.

KC.COM: Do you feel you are in a position to make a prediction as to what the outcome of Wednesday night’s game could be?

CN: I do not like to speculate on these things, let us not get over confident and say the wrong thing. I feel that respect of your opponent is important especially when your opponent is on top of the log, so I would prefer to let us play out the outcome.

KC.COM: Any final thoughts before the big game?

CN: Only one comment, I do not know if it is a thought we really need our supporters to come out in full force for this game. It is a big game and every game from here on in is like a cup final and this one more than any other.